Unfiltered Juice is Best

May 7, 2014

Cloudy Juice is a Big Winner

Scientists have declared cloudy, non-clarified fruit juice a big winner when it comes to antioxidant content and health benefits. Cloudy fruit juice, they found, contains up to four times more polyphenols (a class of antioxidants that eliminate free radicals) than does clear juice. The study published in the Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture concluded that genetically engineered (GMO) derived enzymes used to extract and clarify fruit juice actually reduce antioxidants, flavor, and nutritional value. Clear juice was also found devoid of pectin and other beneficial fruit cell wall components that aid in assimilation of the natural fruit sugar fructose. The GMO derived clarifying and extraction enzymes used are deemed ‘processing aids’ so they are not required to be declared as ingredients on the labels.

Today, most fruit juice on the market contains only 10 to 25% actual fruit juice, usually from concentrate of questionable foreign origin. The other 90 to 75% is water, artificial sweeteners like high fructose corn syrup, chemical natural flavors and flavor enhancers, and other additives. The real thing, real fruit juice, can still be found but it has become quite rare in food stores. You must now sort through a forest of imitations to find 100% real fruit juice.